Shloka 21
Āśvamedhika Parva, Adhyāya 77 — Saindhava resistance, Arjuna’s restraint, and Duḥśalā’s supplication
तस्य तेनावकीर्णस्य शरजालेन सर्वतः । मोहात् पपात गाण्डीवमावापश्न करादपि,उस बाणसमूहके द्वारा सब ओरसे आच्छादित हुए अर्जुनपर मोह छा गया। उस समय उनके हाथसे गाण्डीव धनुष और दस्ताने गिर पड़े
tasya tenāvakīrṇasya śarajālena sarvataḥ | mohāt papāta gāṇḍīvam āvāpāśna-karād api ||
وَیشَمپایَن نے کہا—جب ارجن ہر طرف سے اُس تیر-جال میں ڈھک گیا تو اُس پر غفلت و فریبِ نظر طاری ہو گیا۔ اسی لمحے اُس کے ہاتھ سے گانڈیوا کمان اور ہاتھ کی حفاظتی پوشاک بھی پھسل کر گر پڑی۔
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how moha (delusion) can suddenly overpower even a disciplined hero, causing loss of control and effectiveness. Ethically, it implies that inner clarity and steadiness are as crucial as external prowess; when the mind is clouded, one’s instruments of duty (like Arjuna’s bow) become useless.
Arjuna is surrounded and covered from all sides by a dense barrage—described as a ‘net of arrows.’ Overwhelmed, he becomes bewildered, and his famed bow Gāṇḍīva slips from his hand along with his protective hand-gear, marking a momentary collapse in combat readiness.